tag:theconversation.com,2011:/uk/topics/center-for-disease-control-41487/articlesCenter for Disease Control – The Conversation2020-03-26T12:11:12Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1344392020-03-26T12:11:12Z2020-03-26T12:11:12ZWhat does a state of emergency mean in the face of the coronavirus?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322337/original/file-20200323-112720-ed3qt6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pence and Trump attend a coronavirus task force briefing.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/APTOPIX-Virus-Outbreak-Trump/d035a160923e4c27a8ab2454dd9ad165/78/0">AP Photo/Patrick Semansky</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Following Donald Trump’s declaration of a federal state of <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/state-of-emergency-coronavirus">emergency nearly two weeks ago</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-washington-state-of-emergency-coronavirus-what-it-means-2020-3#ohio-13.%20https://kfor.com/health/coronavirus/oklahoma-coronavirus-cases-grow-to-106-with-3-deaths/">every state except West Virginia</a> had also declared a state of emergency over COVID-19.</p>
<p>States <a href="https://astho.org/Programs/Preparedness/Public-Health-Emergency-Law/Emergency-Authority-and-Immunity-Toolkit/Emergency-Declarations-and-Authorities-Fact-Sheet/">have statutes</a> that give police powers to the government in situations like hurricanes, fires or disease outbreaks.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amy_Fairchild">as experts</a> in <a href="https://sph.umd.edu/people/marian-moser-jones">public health</a>, we know that different states empower different types of officials to declare an emergency. This is important because a <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.25.4.958">lack of clear lines complicated</a> the response to Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana and, later, Hurricane Rita in Texas.</p>
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<h2>Who decides?</h2>
<p>In most states, the power to declare an emergency lies with the governor. Several have used this authority in cases of <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/10/washington-gov-declares-weather-emergency/77081310/">weather emergencies</a> or <a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=state+of+emergency&view=detail&mid=49F7854B52AA934BE6EB49F7854B52AA934BE6EB&FORM=VIRE">severe flooding</a>, for example.</p>
<p>In some states, both governors and local officials like mayors have the authority to grant such a declaration. Although Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency on March 7, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio – though having <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/12/de-blasio-declares-nyc-state-of-emergency-to-stem-coronavirus">declared a state of emergency in the city on March 11</a> – kept <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/de-blasio-announces-nyc-schools-will-close-due-to-coronavirus/ar-BB11e5zU">schools open until March 15</a>. The dual lines of authority underscored the struggles that can unfold between mayors and governors.</p>
<p>The federal government also has power to prevent disease transmission across states and territories <a href="https://www.fema.gov/robert-t-stafford-disaster-relief-and-emergency-assistance-act-public-law-93-288-amended">because of the 1974 Stafford Act</a>. Evoking this is contingent on a governor’s request, based upon “<a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/pdf/10.1377/hlthaff.25.4.958">a finding that the disaster is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state</a>.”</p>
<p>In the case of COVID-19, the Department of Health and Human Services, using the federal <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/264">Public Health Services Act</a>, invoked federal powers to prevent “<a href="https://jamanetwork-com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/journals/jama/fullarticle/2761556">cascading public health, economic, national security and societal consequences</a>.” In addition to this, federal authority empowers the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to examine and <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42">quarantine anyone entering the U.S. or traveling across state lines</a>. </p>
<p>Another key rationale for invoking emergency powers is to <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/emergency-declarations">trigger federal disaster relief</a> to states. The amount is being debated in Congress as we write.</p>
<p>Before getting federal assistance, the governor must declare a state of emergency and begin to follow <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/5191">the state’s emergency plan</a>, a provision which emphasizes that the state is the primary authority in the disaster. That is important because emergency powers not only allow state governments to “provide for” populations, but also “decide for” individuals <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/01/presidential-emergency-powers/576418/">in ways that might limit their rights</a>.</p>
<p>The idea is that <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1406167">sticking to normal legislative processes and legal standards takes time – and that during a crisis delays could cost lives</a>. In an outbreak, such limits on individual rights involve <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html">travel restrictions</a>, <a href="https://time.com/5800442/social-distancing-coronavirus/">social distancing measures</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/index.html">isolation and quarantine</a>.</p>
<h2>Protecting everyone at once</h2>
<p>During an outbreak, people typically accept limits on the liberty of those who are infected as necessary to protect the uninfected.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter if a person with COVID-19 wants to go to the mall, for example. As a society we are willing to order that individual’s confinement to protect others. But what distinguishes the U.S. from authoritarian nations is that those compelled into confinement can always challenge those orders in a court of law.</p>
<p>Emergency powers also allow state and federal governments to <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/9323647/concerts-canceled-coronavirus-list">cancel public events</a> and <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/perth-streets-empty-as-businesses-close-to-comply-with-coronavirus-lockdown-measures/ar-BB11zAj5">close businesses</a>. These kinds of measures are designed to keep unexposed folks safe at home but also to protect those who would be willing to risk getting infected at a bar, restaurant or concert hall. </p>
<p>Emergency orders that protect us from our own poor judgment are the most controversial. After all, we often allow adults to take risks that could harm them. <a href="https://definitions.uslegal.com/s/smoking/">Smoking is legal</a>. In some states, so is <a href="https://www.dmv.org/articles/do-i-need-to-wear-a-helmet-on-my-motorcycle/">riding a motorcycle without a helmet</a>. Neither do we prohibit adults from participating in “extreme sports,” such as rock climbing, sky diving or auto racing, <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/38/3/337">knowing well that some will suffer injuries from these activities</a>.</p>
<p>An outbreak is different. Even mild or <a href="https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/coronavirus-how-asymptomatic-carriers-spread-virus-like-covid-19">asymptomatic COVID-19 cases pose a risk to others</a>. And every case poses a risk to health care personnel, who are called on to treat the most serious cases of infection and who <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/15/business/economy/coronavirus-worker-risk.html">run a high risk of infection</a>. Furthermore, health care systems <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/480590-coronavirus-poses-new-test-for-strained-public-health-system">become strained with a scarcity of human and other resources</a>, including beds, <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/ventilators-respirators-masks-gowns-hospitals-are-all-competing-to-fill-their-shelves-as-wave-of-coronavirus-cases-approaches-233125517.html">respirators and</a> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/health/coronavirus-n95-face-masks.html">masks</a>.</p>
<p>Ultimately, emergency public health orders slow the spread of disease, protecting individuals by limiting some choice regardless of their personal perception of risk. This both prevents new infections and protects the ability of the health care system to save lives.</p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for our newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134439/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amy Lauren Fairchild receives funding from National Endowment for the Humanities. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marian Moser Jones does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The federal government has declared a state of emergency over COVID-19. Two public health scholars explain what that means.Amy Lauren Fairchild, Dean and Professor, College of Public Health, The Ohio State UniversityMarian Moser Jones, Associate Professor and Graduate Director of Family Science, University of MarylandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1297422020-02-13T14:04:19Z2020-02-13T14:04:19ZHow to convince your loved ones to get the flu shot this year<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309773/original/file-20200113-103979-1txdvzu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Studies show that people are more likely to get the flu shot if they have a plan.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/concept-image-calendar-red-push-pin-273450770">xtock/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The best way to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/actions-prevent-flu.htm">protect against the flu is the flu vaccine</a>. But even so, <a href="http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/47/9/E45">about 60% of Americans will skip</a> getting a flu shot this year.</p>
<p>This can be especially frustrating when it is a friend or loved one who is putting themselves and those around them at risk. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/2163348560_Helen_Colby">We are</a> <a href="https://clas.ucdenver.edu/hbsc/meng-li">behavioral scientists</a>, and we wanted to know: How do you convince someone to get the vaccine?</p>
<p>The flu shot doesn’t just benefit the person who gets it. It also <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/article/herd-immunity/">helps protect everyone around the vaccinated person</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/whoshouldvax.htm">such as the very young, the very old and people whose immune systems are compromised</a>. People in these groups often cannot get the vaccine, or it is less effective for them.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The CDC warns viewers to get the flu shot.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>It’s a bargain</h2>
<p>We would love to tell you that a logical presentation of facts like those we listed above is the best method for convincing someone. Unfortunately, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/02/heres-why-people-dont-get-a-flu-shot-and-why-you-should.html">it usually isn’t</a>.</p>
<p>It really seems like we should just be able to tell our spouse, uncle or babysitter how the vaccine works, what it does for us and why it’s important, and then, watch them run straight to the nearest immunization clinic.</p>
<p>The surprising truth is that telling people the facts about the flu shot just doesn’t work.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://hub.kelley.iupui.edu/news/_news/kelley-professor-studying-what-works-and-what-doesnt-in-health-advertising-and-messaging.html">our research</a>, funded by the <a href="https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/funding-opportunities/2019/evidence-for-action-investigator-initiated-research-to-build-a-culture-of-health.html_">Robert Wood Johnson Evidence For Action program</a>, has found that showcasing the flu shot in different ways – like explaining <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/awardees/vaccine-management/price-list/index.html">what a good deal it is</a> – can be much more convincing.</p>
<p>For instance, even though the true cost of getting a flu shot is typically between US$40 and $70, most people can receive one free or for about $10 by using insurance, an employer’s program or finding a community clinic.</p>
<p>That’s a 75% to 100% savings. If televisions were offered at that discount, people would be lined up out the door of Best Buy. </p>
<p>These studies have shown that some of the consumer excitement people feel when getting great discounts on household goods can be transferred to preventive care activities, like flu shots.</p>
<p>Reminding people what a great deal flu shots are is a much more effective strategy to increase interest than listing the health and societal benefits. In our studies, it’s been even more effective than showing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6b5z1CIEZE">a 30-second informational video</a> about flu shots from the CDC website.</p>
<h2>When and where?</h2>
<p>So now your friend or loved one is a little more interested, maybe even willing to get the shot. How do you make sure they will follow through?</p>
<p>If it’s your spouse or child, you might be able to make them an appointment.</p>
<p>In a separate set of studies, <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/186162?resultClick=1">we found</a> that signing up people for a specific date and time to get a flu shot – without asking them for convenient dates or knowing anything about their schedules – was 36% more effective at driving flu shot uptake than sending an email that asked people to click to make an appointment.</p>
<p>Even though some people changed their appointment date or time, and some didn’t show up, more people who received a randomly assigned appointment got the flu shot than those who had to make their own appointments.</p>
<p>If you can’t just make them an appointment, you can also nudge them to create what’s called an “<a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dont-delay/201001/implementation-intentions-facilitate-action-control">implementation intention</a>,” or a concrete, specific set of plans about when and where something will happen.</p>
<p>Implementation intentions <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1103170108">increase the likelihood of getting</a> the flu shot by as much as 4.2%. For example, will they go to the pharmacy near their house for the vaccine? When will they do it?</p>
<p>Tying it to specific activities can help them remember – like “after dropping off the kids at soccer practice on Saturday morning I will stop by the CVS on the corner of Main Street to get a flu shot” – is a great implementation intention.</p>
<p>Help the person develop an implementation intention by asking simple questions or making suggestions about when and where they might be able to get the vaccine.</p>
<p>Encouraging them to write them down – or even better, set a reminder in their phone or calendar – can also be helpful.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=420&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/309774/original/file-20200113-103966-1p5lowt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=528&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Getting the flu shot helps people who are most susceptible to the flu, like kids.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/doctor-makes-vaccination-391419913">CNK02/Shutterstock.com</a></span>
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<h2>The flu is no joke</h2>
<p>Though the optimal time to get a flu shot is much earlier <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season.htm">during the flu season</a>, it is not too late to get the shot, as the season sometimes goes as late as May.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-does-the-flu-actually-kill-people/">flu kills hundreds of thousands</a> of people every year around the world and <a href="https://www.waukeshapediatrics.com/blog/post/cold-vs-flu.html">debilitates millions more</a>. The best prevention is getting the flu vaccine.</p>
<p>But if presenting the facts to your friends and family isn’t encouraging them to get the shot, try emphasizing the great value, making appointments for them or encouraging them to set and record concrete implementation intentions.</p>
<p>They will protect their health and get a great bargain too.</p>
<p>[ <em>Like what you’ve read? Want more?</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=likethis">Sign up for The Conversation’s daily newsletter</a>. ]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/129742/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Colby receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Meng Li receives funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. </span></em></p>The flu shot is a bargain – and people are more likely to get it if they know that.Helen Colby, Assistant Professor of Marketing, IUPUIMeng Li, Associate Professor of Health and Behavioral Sciences, University of Colorado DenverLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/818672017-08-23T15:45:15Z2017-08-23T15:45:15ZWhy home, even when there’s war, is the most dangerous place for women<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/183130/original/file-20170823-13293-ha7usf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Congolese women in the eastern town of Bunia. Even in conflict zones women are more likely to face violence in their homes than outside.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Murizio Gambarini</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>After decades of advocacy, a <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/sexual-violence-in-conflict">global summit</a> was finally convened in London three years ago to find a way of ending sexual violence in conflict situations. The aim was to focus attention on this often-overlooked aspect of warfare.</p>
<p>While this is right and good, over emphasising conflict-related sexual violence runs the risk of making us lose sight of the fact that a war zone is not the most dangerous place for a woman. Her home is.</p>
<p>Nearly a third <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85239/1/9789241564625_eng.pdf">(30%) of women worldwide</a> in intimate relationships will experience violence at the hands of their partners. This is according to the World Health Organisation, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South African Medical Research Council.
Globally, about <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85239/1/9789241564625_eng.pdf">38% of all women murdered</a> die at the hands of their intimate partners.</p>
<p>South Africa is a case in point. According to a 2016 health and democratic <a href="http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/Report%2003-00-09/Report%2003-00-092016.pdf">survey</a>, a fifth (21%) of women over 18 years old in intimate relationships have experienced physical violence from a partner; 6% experienced sexual violence from a partner. And a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shanaaz_Mathews/publication/26754902_Mortality_of_Women_From_Intimate_Partner_Violence_in_South_Africa_A_National_Epidemiological_Study/links/0fcfd510224ab97739000000/Mortality-of-Women-From-Intimate-Partner-Violence-in-South-Africa-A-National-Epidemiological-Study.pdf">retrospective national study</a> published in 2009 put the South African mortality rate from intimate partner violence at 8.8 per 100 000 women – twice as high as the USA.</p>
<p>Not that America is a safe place for women. The Centre for Disease Control’s 2010 National Intimate Partner and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf">Sexual Violence Survey</a> found that 9,4% of women have been raped by intimate partners in their lifetime. 15,9% of women have experienced sexual intimate partner violence other than rape, and nearly 33% of women have been subjected to physical violence at the hands of their partners. </p>
<p>Shocking new findings show that even in conflict-affected countries infamous for the high rates of sexual violence perpetrated by fighting forces and where soldiers and rebel fighters are a daily danger to women, their husbands and boyfriends are the bigger threat. A <a href="http://tilz.tearfund.org/%7E/media/files/tilz/sgbv/2017-tearfund-does-faith-matter-en.pdf?la=en">baseline household survey</a> done in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) showed that women reported very high levels of intimate partner violence – much higher than the rate of sexual violence perpetrated by soldiers and militias.</p>
<h2>DRC research</h2>
<p>The baseline household survey was done in 15 communities in the Ituri Province of the DRC and 769 people were interviewed.</p>
<p>It was conducted by <a href="http://www.tearfund.org/">Tearfund</a> and <a href="http://www.healafrica.org/">HEAL Africa</a> as part of a project called “Engaging with Faith Groups to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in <a href="http://www.whatworks.co.za/about/global-programme/global-programme-projects/innovation-projects/item/36-engaging-with-faith-groups-to-prevent-violence-against-women-and-girls-in-conflict-affected-communities">Conflict-affected Communities</a>”. This project is funded by UK aid from the UK government, via the What Works to Prevent Violence Against <a href="http://www.whatworks.co.za/">Women and Girls</a> Global Programme. The funds are managed by the South African Medical Research Council. </p>
<p>The eastern DRC is still racked by ongoing violence from different rebel groups. This has been going on for decades, and the eastern DRC is known for high rates of very violent <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3093280/">sexual attacks</a> perpetrated by soldiers as well as rebels.</p>
<p>The survey showed that non-partner sexual violence – which would include sexual violence perpetrated by soldiers and rebels – was very high – 20,8% of women reported non-partner sexual violence within the last year. This is much higher than the <a href="http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/85239/1/9789241564625_eng.pdf">global figure of 7%</a> for lifetime experience of non-partner sexual violence. </p>
<p>This outcome of the survey was expected. What wasn’t was the shocking finding that more than two thirds (68.7%) of the women who reported having experienced non-partner sexual violence in the last 12 months, said that the perpetrator was a known person or a family member. Only in 6% of the cases was the perpetrator a militia member or another unknown person.</p>
<p>As shocking was the very high levels of intimate partner violence: 68.8% of women in relationships who took part in the survey reported having experienced some form of intimate partner violence in the previous 12 months, and 38,4% had been sexually violated by an intimate partner in the last year. Over 68,2% of men in relationships reported perpetrating intimate partner violence.</p>
<h2>War versus the home</h2>
<p>While still under researched, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4124472/">there is evidence suggesting</a> that intimate partner violence increases during times of conflict, is more common in couples that experienced or were affected by armed conflict. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, the survey confirms that, even in areas affected by conflict, intimate relationships are the biggest and most consistent threat to a woman’s safety. </p>
<p>What this underscores is that yes, there is need to address the abuses suffered by women at the hands of those waging war. But what musn’t be forgotten is that, for many women all over the world, their homes are the battle front.</p>
<p>Feminist theories explaining violence against women have gained increasing traction in the past few decades. They explain that such violence is a result of male power within <a href="https://libcom.org/files/Theorizing%20Patriarchy%20-%20Sylvia%20Walby.pdf">patriarchal society</a>, revealing the relationship between gender and power. Even sexual violence is about power, as through the act men aim to prove their dominance and control over women.</p>
<p>Addressing this imbalance in society is difficult. One possible avenue through which it can be done is religion and religious institutions. Religion is able to <a href="http://home.ku.edu.tr/%7Embaker/cshs503/durkheimreligiouslife.pdf">influence behaviour</a> and motivate and facilitate <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/protestant-ethic-and-the-spirit-of-capitalism/oclc/3064861">social change</a>. While research has shown us that religious institutions are usually <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15570274.2016.1215837?journalCode=rfia20">patriarchal institutions</a>, upholding the status quo that is <a href="http://www.africansunmedia.co.za/portals/0/files/extracts/justice_not_silence_extract.pdf">detrimental to women</a>, the opposite can also be true. Tearfund and HEAL Africa, focusing on religious leaders to act as catalysts to prevent violence against women and girls in Ituri province, are banking on this.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81867/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elisabet le Roux consults for Tearfund UK as research lead on the project "Engaging with Faith Groups to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls in Conflict-affected Communities". </span></em></p>Shocking new findings show that even in conflict-affected countries where soldiers and rebel fighters are a daily danger to women, their husbands and boyfriends are the bigger threat.Elisabet le Roux, Researcher, Unit for Religion and Development Research, Faculty of Theology, Stellenbosch UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.